


Who's Idea Was It To Invite a Goat Anyway?

by Icy_Hot_Soba



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Self-Insert, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27113458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icy_Hot_Soba/pseuds/Icy_Hot_Soba
Summary: During a friendly gathering, Portia admits that her house appears to be haunted by an unknown entity. So, these drunken fools decide to do the only plausible solution. Conduct a seance! What could possibly go wrong...
Relationships: (Is the main one), (Sub ships as follows), Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Asra/Muriel (The Arcana), Lucio/Nadia (The Arcana), Portia Devorak/Nadia
Kudos: 7





	Who's Idea Was It To Invite a Goat Anyway?

“What devious secrets do you think we will uncover tonight, my dear?” The mischievous doctor implored as he walked beside his lovely date. Draping his extravagantly long coat around Y/N’s narrow shoulders, Julian peered down to examine the full length of her beauty. It was as if a portrait had up and walked straight out of a museum, as Julian would love to describe her. However, Y/N found this rather daunting and outright embarrassing. Alas, that did not keep the love doctor from spouting this like gospel every time they went out for a drink, sat in to watch a play together, or even just as they walked through the open market when Julian was in one of his more rambunctious moods.

Quickly catching onto the soft harbor grey eye beating down at her, Y/N glanced up at Julian. A soft sigh passed through her plump little lips as she held onto one end of the coat that fit onto her like a poorly knit poncho. There was no reason to think that question over much; she knew _exactly_ what to say. Batting her piercing yet soft pupils up at Julian, Y/N answered in a round about fashion,”Julian, I believe you should be thinking over how many secrets you will be revealing tonight.”

“O-Oh, I um…Well, darling, you see-“

“That’s what I thought.”

While Julian stopped for a bit under the full perplexion of their conversation, Y/N kept her pace steady. Portia’s decadent home finally came into view. The miniature cottage was still some distance away, yet it brought an instant warmth to wellow in Y/N’s core. It had been too long since her entire band of merry friends got together, so Y/N’s excitement was practically brewing through her pores.

Taking a couple of long strides, Julian caught up to his fresh hot date in a matter of seconds. In fact, he was rather excited for this night as well, maybe even _more_ excited than his love in some way or another. Seeing his dear old sister was always a treat, but Julian loved to be with copious amounts of people. Being the center of attention was what Julian thrived on.

The couple carried on in silence for a bit. They breathed in the pungent night air that sent a chill rushing through their nostrils. The beating sun had just set beyond the horizon, and they did not plan to leave before it crept back over the rigid mountain range far off in the distance.

Glancing down at the coat cradling her shoulders, Y/N’s brows nearly crossed as she recalled events long since past. The young gal made a complete stop in the middle of their trek as a most unfriendly twinkle sparked in her largely set pupils. Y/N shot a glare at Julian as she questioned,”Is this the coat you keep leeches in?”

“Well...Yes, but they are very well contained.”

Without another word spoken, Y/N pulled the long coat off of her shoulders and shoved it into Julian’s chest. The action inadvertently ruffled his overly loose white blouse, somehow spreading the chest cavity open a bit more than it had been before. Julian held onto the jacket as Y/N let it slip out of her petite hand. The young doctor could only exhale, ever so slowly, as he slung the coat over himself and readjusted his attire.

“You never know when a leech may come in handy.”

The familiar voice came from behind the handsie couple. It was soft and calm yet carried a trickle of the soft rasp of a mild mannered trickster. A thrill coursed through Y/N upon hearing the easily identifiable tone which caused her to physically perk up. To warmly greet her once master, Y/N turned with a smile from ear to ear as she called out,”Asra! It’s been too long... Oh, and you brought Muriel!”

The extent of Y/N’s excitement was brewing all throughout her body and coursed through her legs. She nearly broke out in a full sprint toward the mismatched couple. Notably, Muriel tensed up by the sudden charge. The action itself was extremely noticeable in the man’s clothes which covered a small portion of his upper body. The ragged drab drapes shook with every fraction of movement along with the soft rattle of a heavy yet broken chain. However, the burly brute settled a bit after realizing Y/N’s target was Asra. In turn, Muriel took a large step to his left to give them more space.

Extending expecting lean arms, Asra beamed like a child reuniting with his lost puppy. Even though Asra was ready for the embrace, he unwillingly staggered backwards a bit. Though, this gave Asra every advantage to hold Y/N for as long as he pleased, and he certainly planned to do so.

Patiently waiting for Asra to lower her back onto the ground, Y/N kept her arms against  
his ravishingly long thorax. Y/N kept her starry gaze glued to Asra’s face to examine every single feature, making sure nothing had changed. In fact, there was little difference to note. While every striking yet childishly charming feature remained unwavering, the wandering magician’s snow white hair, which was nearing its time for a trim, covered up a small golden band that hung through the loop of Asra’s right ear. A sudden thrill surged through Y/N’s body upon the sight, recalling how many times she had dropped subtle hints that Asra’s outer ear _yearned_ for some dangling gold. It went very well with his vibrantly colorful and mix matched traveler’s attire. Y/N separated herself from Asra merely to clap her hands in awe as she hollered,”Is that what I think it is?!”

“Oh, you noticed,”Asra spoke with mild intensity. The young man chuckled at the sight of his former apprentice’s jaw dropping glee. Cocking his head slightly to the side, Asra brushed back a bit more hair to reveal a couple of more gold bands strapped tightly to the upper portion of his deeply brushed skin. Asra promptly continued,”I finally decided to take your advice. After all, you are the master magician, now!”

At first, Y/N could only giggle. Though, her expression quickly diminished as the corner of her lip began to curl. Her eyebrows slightly raised but not high enough to display a significant shock. All to Asra’s dismay, he knew this mug far too well. Deep down, Asra now regretted teaching it to Y/N, but she had far since perfected the expression beyond his original teachings. Submitting to the glamourous, smug mug, Asra sighed,”You can pass on saying _I told you so_.”

“Well, how the tables turn, you sly fox,”Julian chimed in. The tall fellow made his way over to Y/N and laid a proud arm around his girlfriend’s slender shoulders. Naturally, she slid right underneath his slender arm like a key fitting perfectly into its matching lock.

“Oh, and if it isn’t her worse half,”Asra teased as he motioned Muriel closer. Alas, the hefty lad stood like a bump on a log; Muriel much preferred to keep his distance even if it only meant keeping a good foot away from the trio induced in a light conversation. No crowd was pleasant for Muriel, even a crowd he was far past acquainted with.

Little surprise to anyone, Julian quickly spat back in agreeance, “In the flesh!”

With a heavy sigh, Y/N remained silent at a loss of words. It was not often this happened, yet on the few occasions this odd phenomenon occurred, it was always after a mind numbing spat between Asra and Julian. Y/N was simply thankful for the mild start of tonight, but she feared their band of misfits was in for a wild night. However, wild was only the beginning of it...

“If the party moved outdoors, I was offly ill informed.”

“If Ilya would stop HOLDING EVERYONE UP, we could get things rolling!”

All heads turned to the vocal ladies standing just outside of Portia’s humble abode. Nadia stood tall in her elegant purple gown laced with gold. The young countess kept a couple of fingers lay idle against the piece of cloth draping her long neck. As for Portia, her wear was much more casual, seeming even more so when standing next to the extravagant countess. With her natural red hair tied up in a loose multicolored ribbon, Portia dressed in a servant’s attire with one hand fixed on her hip; the sight much resembled that of an elder woman Portia had looked up to for years.

“I beg your pardon. I did nothing of the sort!”

“That’s not what it looks like, Ilya.”

“Well, looks are rather deceiving, aren’t they, my dear?” Julian relentlessly insisted, turning to his one true love for an upper hand. Unfortunately, as the calm doctor’s cloudy eye fell upon Y/N’s overly calm pupils, he knew the attempt was all but futile. In a sudden shock, Julian raised both of his bushy eyebrows in hopes of winning over Y/N’s ever so caring heart. The attempt again was futile.

“I am not getting in the middle of this,”Y/N spat as she began her short trek to the cozy cottage. Upon her arrival, Y/N was met with two very warm hugs almost at once, and while Nadia kept her embrace rather short, as any royal would, Portia was there for the long haul. Standing idle in an overly dramatic fashion, Julian huffed with both arms folded faintly over his chest. The young doctor watched his partner glorify over seeing the women duo, both gleeful and zealous. With another huff, as if the first mistakenly went unheard, Julian slowly mumbled,“Drat.”

“Better luck next time, Julian,”Asra teased with a joking slap on the doctor’s outstretched back. The coy man batted dastardly cocky, violet eyes at his long time friend as he strolled past. The far corner of Asra’s slim lips tickled upward as he walked past Julian and quickly turned into a full, pure smile that would give the Cheshire Cat a run for its money. The childlike man beamed at Nadia and immediately struck up a conversation with her.

As the pair began to speak about what had happened since their last reunion and Y/N was solemnly left to a clinging Portia, Muriel felt lost without Asra at his hip. The poor hermit hated social gatherings, even one as small as tonight’s late night hangout. It was never more than moments like this when Muriel yearned to return to his tiny hut and to be alongside his faithful companion, Inanna. All Muriel was left with currently was the dejected doctor beside him, yet that was someone the burly man was far less comfortable speaking with. Even if they were the only two left to a vast, deserted wasteland, Muriel would opt to remain in silence over having any sort of conversation with Julian. As such, the muscular man quickly made his way over to Asra, staying close enough to be considered hovering yet not a step closer as to intrude on the magician’s chat with Nadia.

Unfortunately, this left Julian completely isolated from the group some few feet away, yet to the king of hypotheticals, this was more than enough fuel to keep his mind sated. As to not draw attention to himself, or rather to avoid beginning the night in a somber mood, Julian was quick to his feet in rushing toward the group and ushering them inside.

********************************************************

The night began slow yet eventful like every other gathering for their small group. Portia served an array of delicious treats including bread with an artichoke dip, a fresh fruit salad, and mini quiches, all of which were nearly consumed within the first hour of conversing. As always, catching up took a couple of hours, especially when Julian began to lavishly speak of his medical breakthrough for curing the seasonal allergy with a new concoction of herbs. Alongside the horderves, the finest wines in Nadia’s collection had been served, and all but Muriel and Nadia herself had begun to feel the effects of several glasses downed. Copious shenanigans continued as they agreed upon a friendly game of truth or dare, where punishment for passing a turn resulted in a full sip of wine. The game lavishly continued for some time until things began to get out of hand…

“I propose Asra does a handstand while gargling a mouthful of wine!” Julian dished out as if his words were a three meal course all jumbled together. The dashing young doctor shot a deviously cynical grin at the white haired minx, only to receive a pair of purple orbs beating through his skull.

However, Portia was quick to detest the dare as she huffed a lock of hair out of her plump face. The younger Devorach shook her head as she hollered in protest,”That’s too easy!”

“Asra has to do that while saying Mona Lisa backwards, three times,”Y/N joyously added to the conversation. Even through her beaming demeanor, she could feel how her betrayal rang to her retired master across the room. Y/N casually glanced at Asra, only to see two unusually vibrant violet spheres upsetly gawking at her like a child gasping as their ice cream fell from its cone. However, Asra did not receive any sympathy; instead, Y/N displayed an uneven smile that seemed to rise higher on one side.

Ultimately, Asra was defeated. He knew that. Before raising his glass, Asra took a hefty sigh. The rule was to finish whatever remained, per Julian’s unlawful idea. Alas, Portia had just done her rounds of graciously refilling each glass. The poor magician stared despondently into his inevitable demise, contemplating whether the dare was worth reconsidering. In the end, Asra caved and chugged the entire contents of his tall glass in one go.

For a very elongated minute, the room sat in awe at Asra’s sheer will to pass on a fairly simple dare, even if it was outlandish and utterly would have been gut wrenching to watch unfold. Nevertheless, there was a hint of concern traveling from person to person as glances were exchanged. However, the misfortunate soul took to his downing of wine much better than even he anticipated. Asra quickly sought to refill his glass when a hefty hand hindered his ability to pick up the large bottle. In a soft voice that only Asra could hear, Muriel rumbled,”You’ve had enough.”

“I’m fine, big guy!” Asra spouted back without hesitation. Though, it was highly evident across Muriel’s face that this social gathering had finally taken its toll. Feeling a bit of scentiment, Asra yielded his action. The young magician stared up at Muriel a bit saddened and continued,”Fine, but you owe me.”

The young magician’s only response was a low grumble. It was hard to tell if it was out of frustration or meant as a thank you, but Muriel seemed satisfied nevertheless. _That_ was enough for Asra.

“It may be best if we all slowed down,”Nadia spoke a bit of reason collectively for the group. By now, even the countess had begun to feel the slight effects of their nonsensical drinking, and the young woman had quite an immunity to wine. Of course, this left an absence in the night waiting to be fulfilled with some nonsensical idea.

As per tradition, all gawking eyes fell upon the same helpless fool. Normally, the plague doctor had some random activity up his sleeve, yet with the restriction of playing a game that did not involve alcohol, nearly all of his backup plans were diminished. The remaining few activities Julian could fathom were not for an occasion as such. Sadly, the silent doctor merely shrugged at his friends with a sigh,”Alas, my wide spectrum of knowledge highly revolves around alcoholic activities.”

“What a surprise,”Asra jabbed with a playful tone.

Though before Julian could thrash back with a witty comeback, his temporarily ill mannered sister leaned into the conversation with a proposition of her own,”Y/N, Asra, there was something I was going to ask you both to help me with, but I was hesitant to ask. How hard is it to conduct a seance, and...how do you do one, exactly?”

At first, the room fell into an awfully dull silence, one often accompanied by eerie forthcomings. Y/N slowly drew her gaze toward Asra who sat idle like a statue. The young magician felt his apprentice’s gawking eyes yet remained solemn in his stead. With the room leveled so, Y/N could feel an uncomfortable energy arising from everyone present, and rightfully so. Knowing how Asra would respond, Y/N quickly spoke up to level the uncomfortable aura,”Why would you want to conduct a seance?”

“Lately, I’ve felt like I’m not alone here, and Pepi feels the same,” Portia promptly responded with a hint of worry in her voice. It was unlike Portia to display any signs of concern or disarray, and the young woman had shown absolutely no signs of odd behavior prior to this conversation. Until now, Y/N had not noticed Pepi curled up beside Portia’s feet. Normally, the free roaming feline would prowl around the room and make her appearance known in a warming welcome.

“Why the fuck not?” Asra rhetorically spat out with a bit of a slur. It was definitely the alcohol speaking with a hint of concern for his new friend and the poor kitten at the hands of a dastardly invisible fiend. Though in Asra’s current state, with his intoxication slowly settling in, it would certainly hinder his ability to perform a proper tap into the paranormal realm. As such, the low performing magician waved his hand in front of his face with a sigh, continuing,”Alas, I am not in a state to perform such an elaborate-“

“I’ll do it!” Y/N interrupted with an esteemed holler. Y/N locked eyes with Asra who undoubtedly fluttered heavy, confused lashes at her. This time, Y/N paid no attention to him, yet she knew there would be a lecture in store for her anticipatory grief stricken ears later. “No, no, no! I think this has gone on long enough,”the plague doctor echoed his voice in the relatively small living room, promptly continuing with a hand on his partner,”This really is not the time for such careless behavior.”

If Julian has chosen to explain himself or even speak in a less demeaning tone, Y/N might have listened. It was likely a side effect of the wine, yet it made no difference to the powerful young magician. In her current state, Y/N took this as a challenge and one she would pass exceptionally well. It was now a simple matter of one question Y/N asked as she set her eyes on every member in the room,”Well then, who’s in, and who’s out?”

********************************************

Outside under the cool awning, Julian took a deep breath in of the heavy midnight air. A hint of dew carried in the musky atmosphere as the helpless doctor stared into the colorful eyes of his fiery lover. They had spoken for nearly half an hour, and all of it was simply circling the same conclusion; it was not what Julian wanted even though he knew his reasoning was not being heard. Caressing Y/N’s arm with a gentle touch, Julian spoke softly,”We simply do not know the full risks of conducting this ritual! Asra’s too plastered to help explain anything.”

“Seances happen all the time! Besides, magic isn’t a channel for negative energy...usually,”Y/N expressed with increasing volume until catching herself. If she spoke too loudly, everyone else would overhear their conversation, and the last thing Y/N wanted was for Portia to hear this nonsensical banter. As it were, the distance between them was a wall far too thin for the couple’s comfort.

“Has Asra ever explained how to conduct a seance properly?”

“Well, um...not exactly, but I have done one before!”

“Oh really?”

“Sort of…”

Julian’s low rumble of a sigh was plenty of a response for Y/N. The kindhearted magician set a hand on Julian’s chest, just on top of the portion of snow white skin his ruffled shirt revealed. As reassuring as she could be, Y/N smiled and carefully said,”We’ve been through so much together. What makes you think we can’t handle a little more adventure in our lives, my daring buccaneer?”

The plague doctor watched his lover’s face become buoyant as she spoke. The sudden charm was more like a siren’s call to a sailor. There was no changing course now. Julian had the choice to join in the unknowing quest or drown. Shaking his head enough to bounce the locks of auburn hair dwindling in his face, Julian caved,“That's freebooter to you, my magical little minx.”

A playful grin plastered the young magician’s round face as a hint of blush rushed to her soft cheeks. Turning away to head back inside, Y/N let out a sudden gasp at the room that was already prepped for a seance. Active participants formed a circle in the center of the room, minus enough space for Y/N, which included Asra, Portia, and Nadia in that order. Asra sat beside the opened space which was quickly filled by Julian. As the party shifted to accommodate the extra body, Y/N made her way to sit, yet her excitement got the best of her as she nearly fell onto the floor.

Four candles sat on the floor in front of each person except for Y/N. At the circle’s focus, a plate of cookies and biscuits and a nearly full glass of red wine sat idle. This was simply breathtaking compared to Y/N’s previous, quite laughable, seance. Eagerly reaching a hand out to Julian and Portia, Y/N beamed as she began to flow energy through her friends. This new sensation was simply odd; magic coursing through a virgin’s veins had no real way to describe the feeling. Portia unintentionally gripped Nadia’s hand tighter, not realizing her action until feeling warming fingers take a stronger hold around Portia’s palm. While Nadia and Asra seemed all but prone to the magic presence, Julian also felt a bit uneasy about it. The long time doctor had his doubts about magical practice, not in the sense of disbelief but more in a lack of understanding of how it all worked.

In Y/N’s current mood, her magical energy coursed through everyone exuberantly. Magic even coursed through the offerings centered between them, so much so the wine slowly spun in its glass and the candles began to flicker. That physical sign was when Y/N noticed her magic was brewing a bit more than it should be. Taking a deep breath, Y/N channeled her energy back to the circle of people.

“Alright everyone, repeat exactly what I say, as in sync as possible!” Y/N stated and paused to give everyone time to respond through some sort of understanding. Y/N promptly continued in broken phrases, waiting for her echo before continuing,”Our beloved lost soul… We bring you gifts from life into death… Commune with us… Move among us… With our blessing.”

Muriel watched the ritual unfold through concerned spheres. Inanna’s company would have been soothing. Unintentionally, the burly man shifted the thin cloth around his shoulders to further cover more of the exposed portions of his chest. Muriel _knew_ this was wrong; he could _feel_ terrible energy circulating in this small room and knew this was the beginning of a dreadful mistake. The fearless man wanted to run, wanted to leave before something manifested, but Muriel would never leave his friends behind, even if he would be powerless against a spiritual being.

Though, time grew on, and the room grew cold. Not a whisper was spoken, but it would have meant little. Every candle remained lit with a steady flame, and none of the offerings were touched. Nothing seemed to be reacting to the ritual. All members of the circle glanced at each other in confusion, until one member decided to take a bit of a different approach to the seance. Standing tall, yet a bit unsteady, Asra slapped his thigh with boisterous, bubbly banter,”Thou who thinketh it okay to bully my dear friend here, and her ever so lovely kitty, shall show thyself, or so help me, I will resort to my magic...to forcibly remove thee!”

“I think it’s fine time you lie down,” Julian said as he quickly stood to prevent Asra from landing flat on his face. Alas, this was not the first time this scenario had played itself this way for these two, and it likely would not be the last. They had been to plenty of bars in their playful years. Even so, Muriel quickly came to Asra’s side and picked the man up before another word could be spoken. This was an ideal way to exit the party with a legitimate reason to. Of course, Asra, even in this toxic state, still had a heavy influence of magic at his beck and call.

The intoxicated magician slipped himself through Muriel’s firm grasp by escaping his outermost scarf and extremities like a snake shedding its skin. In a sudden mystical array of colorful light, Asra disappeared out of sight. With a hint of laughter, Nadia made her way into the limelight,”That was quite amusing.”

“Yeah, _amusing_ ,”Y/N said softly to herself. To all others in the room, it was as if Asra vanished in a mere smoke screen, but to Y/N who knew all of her master’s parlor tricks, it was as simple as uncovering the intoxicated fool’s escape route. As such, Y/N climbed onto the couch stealthily to not warrant any concern like a panther ready to pounce on its prey. Slowly creeping her head over the top of the mahogany colored couch, Y/N set her sight on a crouching tiger cub helplessly trying not to giggle.

“What’cha doin’ there, Asra?”

“Sh~ You can’t see me!”

“Asra, I ca-“

“If I can’t see you, you can’t see me!”

Y/N could only let out a soft sigh as her lips were forced into a smile. Asra became such an adorable child when drunk. Of course, her distraction was put forth well enough for Muriel to creep up behind the drunken fool and snatch the poor lad before he could slip away again. Muriel applied a tighter hold on the man this time, yet it was not enough to harm Asra.

“No fair! You cheated!” Asra protested with a series of laughs and hiccups following his blank claim. He playfully slapped Muriel’s arms, but the soft taps felt like mere flicks to the hermit. Without another word, Muriel tactfully swept Asra away and headed to the nearest room to ready the lad for a nap.

“Well, that was whimsical,” Nadia highlighted as she watched Muriel carry the drunken lad away. The countess took a small sip from the glass of wine she had filled for herself while this commotion began. It was always more enjoyable to have wine with a show.

“Is it supposed to do that?” Portia interrupted suddenly. The young gal could no longer keep quiet about the candles flickering in front of her. There was something in the way they moved that was simply bizarre.

“When did they start doing that?” Julian replied with a question of his own in sudden awe. He had never seen anything of the sort. Surely it could have been an odd breeze coming through the house, yet not a single door or window was currently opened.

Turning to view the candles for herself, Y/N’s eyes widened slightly. That was certainly not normal. Each candle swayed in sync as if to a rhythm, swinging back and forth smoothly as they did. This was the sign they were looking for. With sudden excitement, Y/N dropped to the floor before one of the candles and spoke,”If we have contacted someone, remove the flame from one of the candles!”

For some time, there was no movement at all. The swaying ceased altogether as if Y/N’s words had spooked the ghoul away. All eyes in the room remained on the candles, waiting for something to happen. Though as time grew, so did the patience of the only man remaining. Shaking his head, Julian crudely implied,”Just another parlor trick spirit. How unfortunate. I thought we’d actually get to see-“

Before Julian could finish speaking, all of the soft tipped candles blew out. The man hushed himself as a sudden chill drew down his spine. In fact, everyone in the room felt the same drop in temperature. It was as if the room had become a walk-in freezer.

While Julian gasped and Nadia beamed with a bit of excitement, mystified by the moment, Portia felt a different tingle in her heart. The young girl felt an urge of courage in this dark lighting. So, with volume loud enough to be heard throughout the entire household, Portia belted her inquiries,“Who are you?! Why have you been stalking my house!?”

Glancing at Portia, Y/N remained silent even though she knew how dangerous it was to taunt a spirit. Between Asra’s outburst, Julian’s impatient banter, and Portia’s call for answers, whatever presence they disturbed here tonight would likely not react kindly to this behavior. Glancing back at the unlit candles, Y/N waved her hand over the air above them, slowly reigniting all of the flames. If she did not take control of this situation now, it would escalate to unfortunate events taking place.

“Y/N, why did you-“

“Trust me, Portia.”

Of course, Portia did. After the long nights they had been through and seeing Y/N’s magic first hand, how could Portia not have faith in her? From this point forward, the strong willed gal would try to refrain from another outburst. Even Portia wondered how long that would last...

Befalling entranced in the scheme of things, Julian had yet to realize what was going on. His mind kept replaying the candles extinguishing. For a non-magic user, _that_ was significant enough to blank out the poor man’s mind in one fatal swoop.

As for Nadia, her interest was certainly at its peak. She felt a bit nostalgic even, yet that emotion had been daftly misconceived. However, Nadia’s attention was swiftly grasped on another matter as she felt a soft itch form on her arm. Glancing down at her arm that was propped against the floor to keep herself steady, Nadia smiled at the sight of a tan tail slumped up against her arm. It appeared Pepi had received her fair share of frights for the night, curling up underneath a rather soft pillow that had stumbled on the floor during Asra’s magical disappearance. Reaching out to comfortingly pet Pepi, Nadia smiled a bit as she watched the cat’s hair initially raise and then slowly calm.

Now, it was time for Y/N to do what she did best. There was a forced hush in the room when Y/N raised her hands. She could _feel_ the energy of another being present, an energy that was not kind but also had a sort of child like mantra. It was an odd aura through and through. Lowering her arms, Y/N spoke to the unknown presence,”You’ve made yourself known, so let’s play a little guessing game. I’m going to ask you yes or no questions, and you respond by lighting the candle if the answer is a yes. Okay?”

As if on demand, a single candle lit. It flickered for a while, waving back and forth like a single leaf on a breezy day. Then, the light was extinguished as quickly as it had been lit. A silence fell over the room once again, the first true silence of tonight. Nadia was simply marveling at the candle as if it were a musical production reaching the story’s climax. As for Portia and Julian, their bloodline felt less inclined to be in awe of the moment; their matching ocean-touched eyes gawked at the spiritual candle. Their eyes had moved with the candle’s lit flame as if in a trance, yet they were most certainly trembling on the inside. That was simply an emotion neither fancied to show physically.

Y/N nodded upon the candle’s extinguished flame. She would have to word her questions carefully and stay away from ones that required a long explanation. Placing her hands on either knee, as she was sitting with her elegant legs in a crossed manner, Y/N continued,”Are you the ghost that has been haunting this house?”

Yet again, there was a pause shortly followed by the flame’s soft light. This time, Portia had maxed out on remaining quiet. The young woman stood in an offensive position, fisting both hands, as she yelled,”Why?! Why have you been haunting poor Pepi! She’s done nothing-“

“Portia! You have to calm down, remember what Y/N said,”Julian hurriedly interrupted his sister. Hastily raising to try and calm Portia, Julian extended his long legs through the center of their circle, inadvertently knocking over the plate of food that had been set out as an offering. A couple of biscuits remained on the plate, but alas, the poor cookies took their tumble all over the floor. Just as Julian made his way to grasp Portia’s plump arms, something oddly strange occurred.

At first, the candle extinguished. It caught the attention of Nadia, but Y/N was too focused on helping Julian calm Portia to notice. As Nadia watched the candle intently, her ruby eyes widened as the flame slowly lit again, yet this time, all four candles lit with a blue flame that was twice the size it had been before. Nadia glanced up at the three in a semi-heated conversation about not fighting the spiritual being, so the Countess decided to watch the candles until something else caught her eye.

One at a time, in a very slow manner, the cookies were slowly making their way back onto the oval plate. There was no order to how they were being placed down, yet it was astonishing nonetheless. As the Countess watched, a small grin formed on her face as an idea spewed. Nadia patiently waited for the final cookie to nearly be put onto the plate before grabbing another one and placing it back on the floor.

Suddenly, the flame fluctuated to a terrifying height large enough to divert Portia, Julian, and Y/N’s full attention. Nadia watched the flame grow before glancing back at the tray of cookies. The flame dwindled out of existence as Y/N sat back down and said,”I’m ending this.”

“Wait, what kind of cookies are those, Portia?” Nadia promptly interrupted. A light bulb went off in her mind as she picked up a cookie to examine it closer. The cookie seemed easily identifiable, but the countess wanted confirmation before drawing on her conclusion. Portia stared at Nadia with a peculiar expression. After some time, she responded,”Um...they’re just chocolate chips?”

“As I thought. I unfortunately know who this trickster spirit is,”Nadia sighed as she set the cookie back down, pinching the bridge of her nose with two fingers. She despised the idea of him; even breathing his name was a nuisance. Nadia eventually continued,”It’s my overly undead ex-husband, Lucio.”

“The Count?” Y/N questioned in sudden amazement. She had limited memory of the man, but his volgar reputation lived up to its name. It was possible, seeing as Lucio had plenty of unresolved grievances still in the human world that would keep his spirit linked to this one. Y/N turned to the candles, asking the spirit one more question,”Is Nadia correct? Are you Lucio?”

Slowly, one candle lit it’s normal flame. There was a gasp from Julian who still had a feeble hold of his sister. Though, Portia was the resilient one. The strong gal was still in disbelief as she folded her arms in a huff,”Oh, if you’re the _Mighty Lucio_ , then prove it!”

Though a series of footsteps drew everyone’s attention to Portia’s short hallway. There was a distinct difference between the pairs. One set of steps was elongated and heavy while the other was a much softer patter; together it sounded like a bear chasing a squirrel. Once reaching the living room, in his full glory, Asra thrust out his hand as a surge of magic flew toward the circle. It was invisible to everyone in the room other than Y/N who felt the massive amount of energy. Glamorously hollering, Asra beamed from ear to ear,”I beg thee, show thyself to the young maiden!”

“Asra, no!” Y/N called out, but the spell had already been cast.

In a sudden flash of several, bright colors, a man stood in his full glory as if he had never seen a day in purgatory. With his gold plated arm reflecting candle light, the reflection also shone on his proud face to reveal a dastardly yet joyous glamour. His clean white suit was challenged by his pale white skin. Raising his normal hand to his face, ensuring his blood stricken eyes did not deceive him, Lucio maniacally laughed as he began to monologue,”Oh Asra! I always knew I could put my trust in you, and my, how you have you topped yourself this ti-“

“Lucio!” Asra hollered with a gasp, pointing ever so dramatically at the once Count. Asra’s interruption went all but unnoticed as he slapped his cheek, creating a loud clapping sound to echo in the hollow room.

Continuing on, Lucio waved the interruption off,“Yes, Asra, pay attention. As I was saying-“

Before Lucio could finish, Portia placed a very powerful fist against the man’s newly developed face. The sudden force knocked the man onto his arse, unfortunately landing on the newly swept plate of biscuits and cookies. The man sat in silence, basking in the realization of what had happened. He had been _hit_ by someone. That was a sensation Lucio had come to forget in his lonesome wandering in the world on another plane of existence; it was magnificent.

“Well, that’s quite upsetting…” It was unclear whether Julian was expressing his destain toward Lucio’s revival, the overall racket, or the befallen cookies and biscuits. Nevertheless, Julian’s instant disdain was visible across his desolate face.

Normally, Lucio would have been thrust into a full rage with an incident like this, yet the man stayed alarmingly calm. The newly alive man placed his pale hand against his enthusiastic face, taking in the magnitude of what just happened. Lucio _felt_ that punch, and it was so powerful that it knocked him onto the floor. Pain was an odd sensation, yet Lucio felt no bit of sadness or regret. He felt happy, overly joyful in fact and so much so that Lucio began to laugh uncontrollably.

“I think you broke him, Asra,” Nadia said with much confusion trailing in her words. The countess could already feel a headache beginning to form. As such, Nadia grabbed the nearest glass of wine, which just so happened to be someone’s remains left on a counter from hours ago, and chugged the contents. There was easily a half glass still remaining before the countess had begun.

For Asra, Lucio’s excitement poured through him. The drunken fool wobbled toward Lucio like a newly born penguin and flopped onto the floor in a way he would feel in the morning. Asra stared intently at Lucio until the man’s laugh became contagious. Then, the room was filled with the boisterous musical of trading laughter.

“I think Asra’s broke,”Y/N stated with a sigh. This entire situation was unsettling. At the very least, Y/N knew what spell Asra used to bring Lucio back from limbo. Of course, an explanation of the spell’s true ability and limitations was a conversation they would be forced to have, sooner rather than later, but it was not one Y/N looked forward to. There would surely be upsets. Taking the lead, as she was usually drawn to, Y/N spoke above the laughter,”Alright, you two! Hush now! I have some things to say about all this.”

Lucio slowly came to a halt, not because he was told to but merely because his stomach was beginning to ache. On the other hand, Asra kept his giggling low but unwavering, covering his mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound a bit more. Though through opened fingers, that was hardly plausible. Nevertheless, it was at the very least an attempt, and Y/N could appreciate that.

“Before I begin to explain this mess, and offer some unfortunate news, you have some questions to answer, Lucio,” Y/N demanded in an ever so calm tone. With Lucio, he had to be treated like a child, so any discipline had to be dealt with a motherly nature. Thankfully, that was Y/N’s strong suit; she had learned of this hidden talent after facing the troubling events that befell Vesuvia a few short months ago. To further push her point, Y/N glanced toward Portia who seemed like she was ready to serve a follow up knuckle sandwich.

“Well, I can explain…”Lucio began, taking a second to stand up before doing so. The once Count of Vesuvia wanted to be presentable as he delivered his speech, as soon as he could put together a few words to say. Lucio dramatically elongated his delay by patting off his trousers which had several crumbs scattered along his entirety.

In the meantime, Asra’s childlike giggling had finally ceased. The man child just now discovered the crumbled cookies and biscuits with much pleasure, reaching for one in a very sly manner as if he _knew_ he was not supposed to eat them. Alas, before Asra could grip even one crumble, Muriel gently grabbed the young man’s wrist and softly uttered the last word Asra wanted to hear,”No.”

The reaction expected was a bit more extravagant than Muriel anticipated. Asra pouted but so much so that his frown seemed cartoonish. The ends of Asra’s lips nearly reached halfway down his chin, so his cheeks were drawn down and wrinkled in a ripple. With a long, drawn out sigh, Muriel grabbed Asra by the waist and slid his friend backward toward the couch, propping him up against the far side in hopes he would remain out of the way. Asra’s frown quickly turned into a clown’s smile as he enjoyed the move.

“We haven’t got all day...or night, rather,” Julian said, correcting himself before anyone else decided to. The plague doctor was quite tired of Lucio and had thought he’d seen the last of him some time ago. This was an unfortunate meeting especially since Lucio was bothering his sister. In a way, Julian was not all too surprised to see Lucio at the end of another problem that had arisen however; if it were going to be any problematic fool, it would be the Count himself.

“Yes, Jules, I’m getting to the point.”

“I’ve told you not to call me-“

“SO! There I was, floating around in the world, but no one could hear me. It was like I was before, and that was quite a drag, so I kept going from person to person, house to house, until finally, someone started seeing me! Here!” Lucio spoke frantically and in a way that was hard for anyone to follow. While he had the full attention of everyone, he was swiftly interrupted.

“What are you talking about? I never saw you!” Portia hollered, tired of the Count’s long running explanation. Her anger was beginning to brew far past what she could control. If not for Nadia’s hand wrapped firmly around one of Portia’s tightly wrapped fists, the stubborn woman would have acted.

“Not you! Her!” Lucio said and pointed at Pepi who was curled up on Muriel’s lap. Pepi had found her way to Muriel the second he sat beside Asra. She hid her head under the small cloth draped over his shoulders and stayed tight against his stomach. Muriel took to her immediately, wrapping his arm protectively around her curled body.

Portia followed up with little patience,”If she’s the only one who can see you, why are you tormenting her?!”

“I’m not! At least, that wasn’t my intention...I kept trying to get her to warm up to me, but she wouldn’t budge! I tried calling her name, bringing her milk and treats…” Lucio said like a concerned parent. This was not a side often seen by the fool, so it came off as though it were a lie or a well thought through excuse.

However, Portia brought some light to the situation, confirming his alabi. Throwing a hand up, Portia hollered,”That’s why I kept finding milk on the floor! ...and, the spilled carton?”

“Uh, no, that was the cat. She made an oppsie after I grabbed it from the fridge,”Lucio quickly shut down. However, it was not Pepi who spilled the carton of milk but a result of Lucio’s first attempt at retrieving a beverage for her. Of course, the proud Count would never admit to such a mistake.

“So, all this time...you’ve been trying to get to know her?” Portia said, a bit astonished by this sudden realization. It was surely a pleasant surprise that did explain quite a lot. The slightly opened windows on terribly hot summer days ( _Lucio felt awful that Portia was not home to relieve the poor cat from the heat_ ), random soft plush animals scattered around the house ( _which were meant to be toys _), and a random bed set up beside Portia’s firm mattress ( _Pepi accepted that one_ ), all of these instances had been so peculiar until now. As suddenly as it had come, Portia’s anger dwindled like a candle’s flame left on for far too long.__

____

“Yes, being a ghost is lonely…”

____

“Oh, is that so? I thought it would be a walk in the park,”Nadia sarcastically responded to her ex-husband’s comment. While Lucio was trying to reach out to Pepi, his intentions were selfish, as they always were. Nadia had her fill of Lucio’s excuses. The countess left, heading toward the kitchen to see if any more wine was available for consumption. As a last resort, Nadia was more than willing to obtain wine meant for cooking if their resources had been depleted.

____

“But now, I won’t be lonely anymore! I can come back to Vesuvia as the Count you’ve all been waiting to return, and-“

____

“Not exactly,”Y/N interrupted before they all were lost in another one of Lucio’s monologues. Y/N promptly continued, sitting on the floor as she spoke,”Time for the bad news. I think you’re going to want to sit down for this…”

____

“Or we could skip that and party! I could use a drink,”Lucio yelled as he searched nearby for any signs of alcohol. Unfortunately, every glass in sight was conversely empty much to his dismay.

____

Nadia chose now to come back in the room with a shiny new glass and two bottles of wine. The countess promptly shoved a bottle at Lucio, who received the gift with open arms wasting no time in popping the lid off and nearly gulping a third of the contents. As for Nadia, she elegantly filled her own glass, much farther than any wine glass should be filled to, and begrudgingly demanded,”Lucio, sit, and listen to Y/N.”

____

“But Noddy-“

____

“Sit.”

____

“Fine…”

____

Keeping to his word, Lucio sat a bit defeated. During the short rumble, Julian had made his way over to Portia, choosing to sit between her and Y/N. The three sat in a row, with Asra and Muriel behind, like an audience captivated in the royal rumble. However, one fellow in the back hand befallen a quite sudden slumber. Asra’s head had fallen against Muriel’s shoulder some time ago, so the burly man was forced to a quite awkward position of not alarming his old friend or his newly acquired pet.

____

At first, Y/N was stuck on what exactly to say. This sort of information was not what Y/N wanted to dish out, but there was no way to politely explain it. So, Y/N took a deep breath, sat up straight, and spoke as calmly as possible,”This spell is temporary and can only be conducted on a spirit once. After the sun falls and moon rises, you’ll go back to the way you were...forever. I’m sure Asra has some other sort of spell to help you pass on, but until then-”

____

“Damn, then I’d better make the best of it!” Lucio hollered as he stood, rushing to Portia’s kitchen with no further hesitation to set his sights on all of the food in sight. Anything was fair game: seasonal nuts, baked goods, even beans although they were not Lucio’s favorite. At this moment, the once Count seemed more like a raging bull than a soon to be dead man.

____

“Hey! Don’t just eat all of my food!”

____

“I’ll reimburse you, and give you double what you had prior.”

____

In the heat of the moment, Y/N had all but forgotten what started this mess. All she could do was sit and watch the entertainment unfold before her very eyes. The magician was simply entranced in a mixed set of emotions, including awe and fear for how much Lucio could shovel into his mouth. Forcing Y/N out of her trance was a lovely and most certainly familiar voice from behind, causing the young woman to turn with a large smile to push back the delicate features on her face.

____

Julian jested as he extravagantly questioned his partner,“Who would have thought tonight would end with a ravenous goat depriving my sister of everything in her kitchen?”

____

“Not me! Of course, my favorite part of tonight was the delirious drunk over there,” Y/N giggled unintentionally as she peered to Asra. At this point, Asra’s head had fallen onto Muriel’s lap, squishing Pepi in between the burly brute and himself. Muriel did not look the slightest bit content with this outcome, yet he did not appear upset either, more nervous and verging on panic.

____

Falling into her lover’s opened arms, which were not open until Julian frantically caught sight of Y/N’s hasty decision, Y/N stared up at Julian in silence. Well, the sort of silence one can get when caught up in the moment seeing as there was much shuffling and yelling being spewed about in the background. She peered into Julian’s soft grey eye and rested peacefully, or so it would seem.

____

However, Julian _knew_ that look; he had even come to dread it. Her soft eyes were more than mere pearls lost in the sea. They were pearls alright, yet the kind that would lure a foolish sailor into the deep, dark depths of a stormy sea in search of an unimaginable amount of loot that would surely be rewarded to them _if_ they could retrieve the sparkling pearl. Of course, this shining pearl was a lure that lead to a dastardly wicked monster that would gobble you up in one bite, or in this case, a beautiful and mysterious siren who would drag you to the ocean’s floor and watch you drown, as so Julian would prefer to recognize it. Nevertheless, Julian knew what this look meant, and so he took the only plausible action for this instance as he spoke,”What would you like me to do, my love?”

____

“I’ll handle Asra, you deal with Lucio,” Y/N said in a voice so innocent it sounded like a toddler. Y/N could tell by the warped expression on Julian’s handsome face, his sudden arched brow and the wrinkled skin just above his nose’s arch, that even though it was not something Julian wanted to handle, he would for her and _only_ her.

____

“Fine, but I expect repayment later.”

____

“You’re favorite kind, I promise.”

____

To that, Julian felt rapturous and hurled himself up in a sudden hoorah, nearly tumbling Y/N to the floor as he did. Y/N watched him run to the kitchen and begin to _handle_ Lucio to the best of his ability. Y/N propped herself up with a sigh, glancing to Nadia and Portia who had taken up an interesting conversation about fine wine, and then to Muriel who was still in distress from the sleeping beauty sprawled out half on the floor and half on the not so lonely hermit with a Pepi in the mix. Smiling to herself, Y/N steadied herself upward and walked toward Asra and Muriel as she proclaimed,”Alright, time for bed everyone!”

____


End file.
